Electronic Speech Treatment Device Providing Altered Auditory Feedback and Biofeedback

Abstract

A device and method for improving speech. One embodiment comprises an apparatus and method for treating stuttering by providing biofeedback to monitor aspects of the user's voice and also providing altered audio feedback (AAF) to induce fluent speech. Biofeedback features include monitoring phonated intervals. AAF features include delayed auditory feedback (DAF), frequency-altered auditory feedback (FAF), and switching the user's voice between his or her left and right ears multiple times per second. The biofeedback controls AAF parameters including volume, which changes smoothly. Bluetooth is also included to connect to wireless microphones and earphones. Another embodiment comprises an apparatus and method for use by persons without speech disabilities for the purpose of improving public speaking by providing their voice back to their ears altered to appear to be in a different emotional state, thus inducing this preferred emotional state in the person speaking.

Description

BACKGROUNDDiscussion of Prior Art[0001]Speech is produced by a person releasing air from his or her lungs, then tensing his or her vocal folds, which causes a vibration known as phonation; this humming sound then resonates in the person's pharynx and is articulated into speech sounds by the person's lips, jaw, and tongue to produce vowels and voiced or phonated consonants, e.g., / b / and / d / . Other speech sounds are voiceless and are produced by releasing air and moving one's articulation muscles without phonation, e.g., / p / and / t / . To produce the name “Patty,” the voiceless consonant / p / is produced, followed by the voiced vowel / short-a / , followed by the voiceless consonant / t / , followed by the voiced vowel / long-e / . Thus to say this two-syllable word, one's vocal folds switch on and off several times, resulting in two phonated intervals.[0002]Brain scans of stutterers have found two neurological abnormalities during stuttering: overactivity in the speech motor control area, and u...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention is a system for treating stuttering and improving public speaking. It includes a microphone and earphones for receiving and altering the user's voice. The system measures the user's phonated intervals and adjusts the auditory biofeedback accordingly, such as increasing delay length and pitch shift. The user can also select the emotional state of the voice, and the system analyzes the user's voice and alerts them to undesirable characteristics. The technical effects of this invention include improved stuttering treatment and improved public speaking performance."

Problems solved by technology

Stuttering increases in stressful and noisy situations.

This eliminated the electrodes and picked up vocal fold activity well, but wasn't popular with speech-language pathologists because they are typically trained to teach stutterers to slow their speech by stretching vowels (i.e., eliminating too-short phonated intervals), as opposed to training stutterers to relax their vocal folds to lower their vocal pitch.

Abrupt changes in how one's hears one's voice, especially having loud AAF switch on and off suddenly, have a jarring effect on the user and increases stress, which is what stutterers try to avoid.

The combination of two devices, two batteries, cables and plugs, etc., make the device cumbersome to use.